Today's Veterinary Business

OCT 2018

Today’s Veterinary Business provides information and resources designed to help veterinarians and office management improve the financial performance of their practices, allowing them to increase the level of patient care and client service.

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43 October/November 2018 • TODAYSVETERINARYBUSINESS.COM
I should note that shame can
play a tremendous role in the re-
sistance to seek medical attention.
Certainly, fears about immigration
status can play a role in some
cases, but more often shame and
fear of deliberate marginalization
due to poor language skills shapes
one's willingness to seek basic
help. Requesting help requires an
admission of vulnerability, and
when a lack of understanding due
to a language gap is present, the
risk-reward proposition might be
too lopsided for some clients.
So, where does all this leave
veterinary professionals?
Enter Academia
and the Online World
Well, for starters, it all explains why
veterinary colleges are increas-
ingly offering Spanish-language
programming. If new graduates
are to be prepared to work with an
increasingly diverse clientele, then
a real need exists for multilingual
veterinary professionals. We can
recruit students who pos-
sess those skills, and we
can offer opportunities
for language acquisition
and development.
The language gap
also suggests that
seasoned profession-
als might benefit from
learning the basics of
languages other than
English. Underserved
populations of pet own-
ers and a closely aligned
workforce are unable to
fully access veterinary medical care
because of the language gap. This
situation not only creates a loss
of income for veterinarians but is
a public health and food security
concern that has far broader impli-
cations than just whether Dr. Smith
can communicate with Ms. Cortez.
In addition to being inten-
tional about hiring multilingual
staff members to bridge the gaps,
you can tap numerous resources.
Medical language apps designed
Diversity Toolbox columnist Dr. Lisa M. Greenhill is senior director for insti-
tutional research and diversity at the Association of American Veterinary
Medical Colleges.
for iOS and Android
smartphones can assist
with immediate transla-
tion and basic vocabu-
lary. Google Translate is
a great free application
that, while not medically
oriented, can translate
text and voice verbally in
real time to help bridge
gaps in the exam room
and on the farm. The
program also offers a
webpage widget that can
be installed and allows
visitors to translate your practice's
webpage into other languages.
While the program does not offer
a perfect translation, it is useful for
basic translation and can be supple-
mented with additional resources.
In-office resources can include
books like William C. Harvey's
"Spanish for Health Care Profes-
sionals." Consider stocking bro-
chures in more than one language
on common veterinary ailments
and conditions. The American Vet-
erinary Medical Association offers
numerous brochures in English and
Spanish, among them information
about dog-bite prevention and
the basics of pet ownership and
a child's guide to veterinary careers.
You can go online, too, to
access resources designed to
facilitate language acquisition by
medical personnel. These include
MedicalSpanish.com, YouTube's
"Language Tailor Medical Spanish"
and the Asian Pacific American
Medical Student Association's Med-
ical Chinese classes.
English-language proficiency
can and should be promoted, but
a professional effort is needed to
help bridge the gap. Animal and
public health depend on it.
providing awareness and tools to
improve well-being. Vet schools
now employ full-time counselors.
Workplaces offer employee as-
sistance programs. Professional
conferences feature wellness tracks.
Four-day work weeks with gener-
ous paid time off and sick days have
become the norm. Perhaps most
importantly, we're beginning to un-
derstand that it's OK to ask for help.
"Mommy, I Wanna Be
a Vet When I Grow Up"
A good friend and partner in
our WellHaven Pet Health group
practice, John, tells a story that I'll
paraphrase. It's not so optimistic to
start with, so bear with me.
John is a business guy who fell
in love with our profession many
years ago. On his first day in veteri-
nary medicine almost 20 years ago
he put on a pair of scrubs and went
to work as an assistant in a busy
general practice. Toward closing,
a hit-by-car case came rushing
through the door. The bleeding
German shepherd was held by a
father trying to keep his emotions
in check in front of his children. The
owner thrust the dog into John's
arms, mistaking him for the vet.
The vet quickly took control from
John, calmed the client, assessed
the patient and went to work.
Several hours later, John and
the doctor were walking to their
cars. John was reflecting on the
amazing work he'd witnessed, the
dedication, the intelligence and the
emotional depth required to com-
municate with the client, treat the
pet, direct the team and perform
the necessary procedures. John
was amazed and hooked for life on
our great profession.
As they each turned to go to
their cars that cold winter evening,
they exchanged goodbyes. John no-
ticed a sag in the doctor's shoulders
as she unlocked her car. John asked
if she was OK. When she turned,
she was sobbing and shared that
this was the fourth night in a row
she had missed both dinner and
tucking her little girl into bed for the
night. She went on to say that her
daughter had expressed interest in
becoming a vet just like Mommy
but that she had reluctantly dis-
couraged her daughter because of
nights just like this one.
John was shocked, and he
vowed right then that while he
could never be a veterinarian, he
would do everything he could to
better support a more positive
work-life balance. He had a vision
to build and support practices that
might have emergencies at closing
time but that also would provide a
hospital environment that em-
braced wellness, protected teams
from burnout and strove to keep
the childhood passion alive.
Fast-forward 20 years. Our
WellHaven practice is opening a
number of beautiful, new AAHA
practices and purchasing remark-
able hospitals. We've worked hard
to create a workplace environment
in which doctors and their teams
are supported, empowered and
encouraged to stay with our profes-
sion and practice for years to come.
John now tells the story of a recent
hospital opening during which sev-
eral veterinarians mused that they
would be proud if their children
chose to follow in their footsteps.
I know that some in our field
are not recommending the profes-
sion. It breaks my heart. Ours can
be very demanding work, but the
rewards are tremendous and prom-
ise to get even better in the years
ahead. I recommend our profession
to anyone who asks and to many
who don't.
Do you recall the words of bril-
liant philosophers Pooh and Piglet?
"What day is it?" asked Pooh.
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.
There's never been a better
time to be a veterinary professional.
Choose optimism.
Creative Disruption columnist Dr. Bob Lester is chief medical officer of Well-
Haven Pet Health and a founding member of Banfield Pet Hospital and the
Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine. He serves on the
North American Veterinary Community board of directors.
If new
graduates
are to be
prepared to
work with an
increasingly
diverse
clientele, then
a real need
exists for
multilingual
veterinary
professionals.
Continued from Page 41